Deck 2: How to Think About International Relations: Perspectives, Levels of Analysis, and Causal Arrows

Question 1

To argue that Poland has been frequently attacked because it sits in the middle of the European plains is to argue for the importance of ______.

A) alliances
B) geopolitics
C) balance of power
D) power transition

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Thinking through a realist lens, which of the following factors is important in international relations??

A) modernization and technological change
B) the development of increasingly complex institutions that centralize legitimate power
C) interdependence among states
D) the security dilemma

Answer 2

D

Question 3

If an explanation of World War I argues that Germany's militarist ideology, which glorified aggressive war, was the cause of war, it is best described by the ______ perspective.

A) realist
B) liberal
C) identity
D) critical theory

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The ______ perspective describes the prisoner's dilemma as a zero-sum game, where one actor will gain and the other loses.

A) realist
B) liberal
C) identity
D) critical theory

Question 5

The realist perspective tends to define power as ______.

A) material capabilities
B) the ability to ensure successful outcomes
C) cooperative capabilities
D) the ability to persuade

Question 6

Marxist critical theory emphasizes which explanation of politics?

A) History is driven forward by a dialectic conflict between economic classes.
B) Language is used by the powerful in order to oppress and marginalize the powerless.
C) States fear losses more than they value gains, so they more often opt for security.
D) States seek to maximize power in order to defend themselves against the security dilemma.

Question 7

The ______ level of analysis is often called a two-level game?

A) transnational
B) individual
C) foreign policy
D) domestic

Question 8

As emphasized by the identity perspective, the phrase "anarchy is what states make of it" refers to the idea that state behavior is shaped by which of the following?

A) the relative position states hold in the material distribution of power
B) that states can pursue their interests through reciprocal interactions in international institutions
C) that the nature of the international system is constructed through the repetitive social interactions of states
D) the attribute of states such that they are not subordinate to a higher power

Question 9

Marxist critical theory emphasizes which of the following explanations for politics?

A) History is driven forward by a dialectic conflict between economic classes.
B) Language is used by the powerful in order to oppress and marginalize the powerless.
C) States fear losses more than they value gains, so they more often opt for security.
D) States seek to maximize power in order to defend themselves against the security dilemma.

Question 10

Arguing that North Korea, like other absolute dictatorships, is dangerous is an example of an argument from the ______ level of analysis.

A) foreign policy
B) domestic
C) international
D) individual

Question 11

What term describes the discussions and negotiations among states, as emphasized by the liberal perspective?

A) bargaining
B) interdependence
C) cooperation
D) diplomacy

Question 12

Relative identities are identities that ______.

A) are determined by states' historical and external dialogues with other states
B) overlap and fuse based on norms and images that cannot be traced back to specific identities or their interrelationships
C) position actors' self-images with respect to one another as similar or dissimilar
D) are derived from states' unique national self-reflections and memories

Question 13

According to the liberal perspective, which of the following is true about institutions?

A) They increase efficiency and control by regularizing international contacts and communications.
B) They always have some physical organization or location.
C) They cannot shape the interests and identity of states.
D) They are controlled by a few powerful governments.

Question 14

Deterrence refers to the use of ______.

A) force to defend a country after an attack
B) force to get another state to do something rather than to refrain from doing something
C) threatened retaliation through force to stop an attack before it occurs
D) threatened retaliation through force after an attack

Question 15

______ refers to the idea that in an anarchic international system, there is no higher authority above states, either at home or abroad.

A) Interdependence
B) International law
C) Multilateralism
D) Sovereignty

Question 16

What term describes the number of great powers in the international system?

A) Polarity
B) Alliances
C) Balance of power
D) Independence

Question 17

______ describes the substance of a cause in an explanation of an international outcome.

A) Idea
B) Perspective
C) Norm
D) Power

Question 18

Which term refers to a network of intergovernmental organizations that together make up a loose form of world government?

A) global governance
B) transnational relations
C) interdependence
D) a League of Nations

Question 19

Kenneth Waltz and John Mearsheimer argue that ______ worlds are the most stable because two bigger powers have only each other to worry about.

A) unipolar
B) bipolar
C) tripolar
D) multipolar

Question 20

If an explanation of World War I argues that Germany's relative power was the cause of war, it is best described by the ______ levels of analysis.

A) individual
B) domestic
C) foreign policy
D) systemic

Question 21

What is the name of the specific realist theory that argues that states seek maximum or dominant power?

A) structural realism
B) defensive realism
C) offensive realism
D) conservative realism

Question 22

In international relations, ______ refers to the use of force to get another state to do something.

A) defense
B) soft power
C) compellence
D) coercion

Question 23

______ is described as a situation in where one actor will gain while the other loses.

A) Competition
B) Compellance
C) Zero-sum
D) Equilibrium

Question 24

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. The construction of identities is a process that shapes which of the following?

A) how actors define who they are
B) how actors behave toward one another
C) how actors define anarchy
D) how actors understand cooperation

Question 25

Arguing that President George W. Bush and a small group of neoconservative advisers made the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 for their own reasons is an example of an argument from the ______ level of analysis.

A) foreign policy
B) supranational
C) international
D) individual

Question 26

Interdependence refers to ______.

A) the mutual dependence on states and nonstate actors in the international system
B) the behavior of states toward one another based largely on mutual exchanges
C) a situation in which one country is more powerful than all the others
D) a formal defense arrangement wherein states align against a greater power to prevent dominance

Question 27

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Intrastate violence includes all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A) family violence
B) wars between states
C) large displacements of populations
D) natural disasters

Question 28

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Collective goods have which of the following properties?

A) They are indivisible.
B) They cannot be appropriated.
C) They are controlled by a few states.
D) They are transferable.

Question 29

According to the liberal perspective, three factors change the prisoner's dilemma to a more cooperative game: interactions or communications, common goals, and technological change.

Question 30

The realist perspective focuses on global society and international institutions.

Question 31

Perspectives in international relations help us find facts and order these facts differently to explain international situations.

Question 32

Cooperation facilitates the provision of better outcomes for some while not harming others, whereas ______ aims to distribute gains that are zero-sum.

A) balancing
B) buckpassing
C) bargaining
D) bandwagoning

Question 33

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. What is the balance of power?

A) the process by which states seek to ensure that no single state dominates the international system
B) an outcome that establishes a rough equilibrium among states
C) the decentralized distribution of power in the international system
D) the material capabilities of a country

Question 34

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. In contrast to the realist perspective, which of the following factors does the liberal perspective see as important in international relations?

A) modernization and technological change
B) the development of increasingly complex institutions that centralize legitimate power
C) interdependence among states
D) the security dilemma

Question 35

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. In addition to theories that concern the construction of identities, the identity perspective includes which of the following types of theories?

A) theories that focus on soft power
B) theories that focus on environmental systems
C) theories that focus on psychology
D) theories of relative power.

Question 36

Stalin's 1939 pact with Germany-which at the time represented the greatest threat to the Soviet Union-is an example of which of the following?

A) bandwagoning
B) deterring
C) power balancing
D) buckpassing

Question 37

If an explanation for World War I argues that Kaiser Wilhelm's bad diplomacy was the cause of war, it can be said that the cause is coming from the state-leader level.

Question 38

In non-zero-sum games, both sides will always gain equally.

Question 39

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are examples of nongovernmental organizations?

A) student, tourist, or professional organizations
B) international labor unions
C) multinational corporations
D) federal governments

Question 40

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following concepts are central to the defensive realist perspective?

A) defense
B) deterrence
C) cooperation
D) interdependence

Question 41

According to the liberal perspective, hierarchy is more important than anarchy.

Question 42

According to the identity perspective, the ______ operates at the systemic level of analysis and determines whether states will treat each other as friends, rivals, or enemies.

Question 43

Clean air is a classic example of a ______, which is emphasized by the liberal perspective.

Question 44

______are those that position actors' self-images with respect to one another as similar or dissimilar, while ______ are those that overlap and fuse based on norms and images that cannot be traced back to specific identities or their interrelationships.

Question 45

The balance of power prevents war.

Question 46

Nongovernmental organizations are nonstate actors that engage in ______ relations, or relations outside the direct influence of national governments and international institutions.

Question 47

Realist approaches often favor multilateralism and cooperation through international institutions to mitigate anarchy.

Question 48

War is most likely to occur during moments of power transition, or when an emerging power challenges a declining power.

Question 49

The security dilemma results from the fact that a state, as it gains power in order to gain security, threatens the security of other states.

Question 50

______ constructivism is an identity perspective that allows for greater influence on the part of independent actors in shaping identity.

Question 51

The distribution of identities includes both internal and external identities.

Question 52

Institutions, once created, tend to evolve through feedback and reinforcement, a process which is known as ______.

Question 53

From the liberal perspective, the essence of international law is ______, or the inclusion of all states.

Question 54

Historically, international law was developed to protect the interests of states. However, more recently, it has evolved to address the rights of citizens and individual human beings to protection from mistreatment.

Question 55

A state is said to have acquired sovereignty when it has monopolized force within its borders and mobilized that force to defend its borders.

Question 56

______refers to the exchange of ideas that are free of material or institutional influence, such as pure speech acts, in order to establish claims to validity.

Question 57

Defense is the use of threatened force to deter an attack before it occurs.

Question 58

Aligning to ensure that no one state dominates the international system is called ______, while aligning with (not against) the greatest power is known as ______.

Question 59

Feminism is a theory that emphasizes the dialectical or conflictual relationship between capitalist and communist states in the international system.

Question 60

Groups of individuals or countries that share a broad base of common knowledge and trust are better known as ______.

Question 61

According to the identity perspective, where do ideas come from?

Question 62

Why is the foreign policy level of analysis called a two-level game?

Question 63

According to the liberal perspective, what are collective goods and how can they lead to cooperation?

Question 64

How does collective security differ from the balance of power?

Question 65

The ______ refers to a phenomenon whereby as countries become stronger and stronger democracies, they tend not to go to war with one another or engage in military threats.

Question 66

The situation that results when one state arms to defend itself and, as a result, threatens other states is called ______.

Question 67

According to the identity perspective, what are the internal and external dimensions of a state's identity?

Question 68

According to the realist perspective, how does anarchy in the international system lead to war?

Question 69

According to the identity perspective, what is the distribution of identities, and how can it determine how states cooperate or conflict?

Question 70

How do the power balancing and power transition schools of the realist perspective differ on the question of when war is most likely?